Combined bumper and lamp guard



. 19, 1940- H. E. WILLIAMS ETAL COMBINED BUMPER AND LAMP GUARD Filed March 51, 1939 l atente or. 19, 1940 w ya i l, l c d ilie tyttlhillll' man hillliit arm GrlUlJdZld application llliarch ill 5 illalms,

This invention has as its principal object the provision oi combination bumper and lamp auard especially suitable ior use in amusement apparatus in the nature oi the pin ball or baga telle came, the improved guard and bumper dc vice being in the nature oi ashell of a translucent material, preferably a thermoplastic, and adapted for mounting on a playboard or the lilre,

m) shell, the shell beina' provided on its outer portions with sprinay means constituting a rebound bumper.

.l-l iurther object is the provision oi a combination bumper and lamp housing for use in amusement apparatus, and which comprises a cylindrical shell oi translucent material which may be colored, said shell belna substantially closed at one end and having its opposite free end disposed in a mounting member upon which is a lamp projecting into the shell to illuminate the latter in accordance with its particular color inc; under certain circumstances, the shell having a rebound member removably embracina the same about its outer peripheral parts and serving to repulse or reprojject a missile such as ball.

Either objects, advantages, and economies re-- aiding in the invention will appear the iollow the description proceeds in view oi the drawinrr,

in which:

Li la. l. is a top plan view oil a fragment oi a board employing the improved btunper and lamp housina;

llia. 2 is a iraamentary vertical section through the name alone line lll oi li la. l;

ii is a vertical section throuah the bumper and lamp housina, talren alone line illil oi Fig. l; while b ip. i is a circuit diagram.

. in one of its preierred lorms, the novel device is constructed lrom a suitable thermoplastic materlal which lends itseli readily to expeditious and economical moldina and coloring, and comprises a cylindrical housinc it having one arrial end wall it which is substantially closed crcept ior an air vent it and which is preferably of convert contour and constitutes a top for the housthe opposite or tree end portion or the cylin der is reduced to provide a shoulder iii and a seatimg, shanlr it which tits into a seating opening in a mounting member such as the game board iii, so that the'upper or main body portions of the cylindrical housinp are disposed on the upper dill with a lamp disposed therein to illuminate the,

, lltllll, denial lilo. Zdfidllil Dll. llld -lldl side oi the board in substantially upriuht pooltlcn relative thereto. v

lln electric lamp llil (Fla; 3) mounted in a soclret ill on an arm ill secured by screw means ill to the under side oi the board it, is disposed to project upwardly into the housing id, and this lamp may be arranged in a circuit such as shown in his. ll, wherein the lamp is connected by a conductor ill to one side oi a battery it, the opposite side oi which battery is connected to a switch ill by a conductor til which in turn is connected to one contact oi a switch The opposite contact iii oi switch is connected by conductor to the remaining terminal of the lamp. Thus, when the switches ill and lid closed, the lamp will be illuminated, and due to the translucent material oil which the housing ill is constructed, the latter will be attractively illuminated from within, the color oi light emanabint; irom the housina; depending upon the ment'used in the thermoplastic.

in the illustrative circuit diagram oi l la. t, the switch is arranged to be operated by an elec-- tromaanet haying one oi its terminals con-- posted by conductor to one terminal oi ball-operated switch the other terminal oi this switch being connected by a conductor to one side of the battery. The remaining side oi the battery is connected by a conductor (assuming the master switch ill to be closed) to one of the contacts ii of a normally closed switch having a contact ill which connects by a conductor with the remaining terminal. at the electromaa'net. The armature id oi the electromapnet is arranged normally to close the switch contacts iiill so that when the ball switch is closed the magnet will be enercited and its armature pulled up to close contacts oi the lamp switch.

the illustrative arrangement of his. 1, there are two lamp housings iii and iii in spaced rela tion on the board it", and the ball switch is mounted beneath the board and has a roll over operating arm till which projects throulrh an opening in the board ior engagement by a ball or the hire passing between the two lamp housings.

"When a playing piece or ball is directed by still or in some other manner so that it will pass between the lamp housings id and it, switch will be operated to cause the lamp it to dash. it is contemplated that a variety of control circuits other than that specifically described in coniunc tion with Fig. i may be utilised in various names, the lamps in the housinas iii and it in the ll till lustrative arrang'ement being preferably operated by separate circuits and only one such circuit being illustrated for explanatory purposes.

Each of the housing members I!) is provided with rebound means in the preferred form of a band of resilient material such as rubber, which is fitted around the shell at a predetermined level above the board i5 for engagement by a projectile or ball, the resiliency or springiness of the material of which the encircling rebound members or bands are formed being preferably adequate to throw the projectile back with a positive deflecting action.

In the illustrative embodiment, the rebound members 50 are in the preferred form of rings of rubber of circular cross section, and each of the shells or housing members is provided with formations or means providing a mounting for the rebound rings, this means being in the form of a channel 5i molded or turned into the outer periphery of the shell near the top. By this arrangeinent the bands may be quickly assembled at their proper positions relative to the top and skirt portion of the housing and will be secured against dislodgment by the impact of balls thereagainst. o

In some circuit arrangements the lamps 20 are arranged for relatively constant illumination and will generate an appreciable amount of heat. The air circulating means or vents I2 in the crown of the housing permit egress of the warmer air and consequently stimulate movement of cooling air in the housing-about the lamps.

Various changes and rearrangements may be made in the specific embodiment set forth-in detail herein for purposes of illustration, and it is intended that the appended claims shall include all equivalent forms of construction and arrangement of parts which may be fairly embraced within the scope and spirit of the invention.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A device of the class described including a shell of translucent material having reduced portions at one of its ends for seating in a mounting opening, said shell having groove portions about its outer periphery providing a mounting for a. rebound member, and a rebound member intheform of a ring of springy material fitted intosaid groove portions into gripping engagement with said shell, said shell being adapted to enclose an electric lamp.

2. A device of the class described comprising a unitary cylindrical shell of solidified translucent plastic material having a reduced shank portion adapted to fit into a mounting opening in a sup-.

port, said shell having a circumferential channel formed in its outerperiphery, and springy rebound means disposed in said channel so as to substantially encircle said shell, said shell constituting a housing for a light.

3. A device of the class described comprising a cylindrical shell of translucent material adapted to enclose a lamp having a reduced shank portion adapted to fit into a seating opening in a support and a circumferential channel arranged about its outer periphery between its ends, and a ring of springy material embracing said shell in said channel.

. 4. A device of the class described comprising a. cylindrical shell of translucent material having a reduced portion at one of its axial ends and adapted to fit into a mounting opening in a support, the opposite axial end of said shell being closed and constituting a top therefor, said shell having a circumferential channel in its outer periphery between said top and shank, and. rebound means encircling the shell in said channel, said shell being adapted to substantially enclose illuminating means on said support for illumination of the shell by light transmitted from within. 1 5. A combination bumper and lamp housing in the form of a cylindrical shell of translucentmaterial having one of its axial ends closed to provide a top and having body portions adjacent its opposite open axial end reduced to provide a mounting shank which is adapted to be fitted into a mountingopening in a support, and a band of springy yieldable material extended about outer peripheral portions of the cylinder and constituting rebound means, said housing being adapted to enclose a lamp disposed therein through said open end for illumination of the shell from within.

HARRY E. WILLIAMS. LYNDON A. DURANT. 

